TARA E. McLAUGHLIN

Davee Lester’s first 5K race marked more than one milestone. It will be three years ago Monday that he had open-heart surgery. And he most likely was the youngest runner Collier’s oldest race — held Saturday — has seen.

The city denied Bonita Springs Utilities request for a 3.5 percent rate increase last month and now it will consider whether the utility can increase its fees for services such as hook ups.

The Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District received unanimous support for the efforts to take control of ambulatory services in the city.

The Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce presented a proposed structure and focus for a new economic development council with the goal of filling in vacant space and growing jobs.

Lee County Manager Karen Hawes is recommending 4 percent pay cuts through furlough days and other cuts including $1.5 million in Emergency Medical Services and about $2.2 million in transit.

Taxpayers will be getting paid back for their loan to the new Boston Red Sox spring training stadium.

The Lee County Commissioner some have seen as controversial has won his party’s nomination.

Lee County Commissioners have no legal reason to challenge a state environmental permit for private land owners to build a dock and foot bridge on Mound Key, the county attorney said Tuesday.

Art galleries, music studios and cafes that could potentially serve alcohol could eventually be allowed near homes on a downtown Bonita Springs street. The city has been crafting plans for the east side of Felts Avenue to allow for a ...

Residents on Hickory Boulevard have no safe place to walk and have urged Bonita Springs City Council to consider supporting 4-foot shoulders for biking and walking.

E-mails from a former Lee County employee highlight a flawed process for choosing contractors, according to Commissioner Brian Bigelow.

Lee County Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve a $3.6 million construction management agreement with Owen, Ames, Kimball, including a 6 percent, or $205,600 fee, to make changes to Corkscrew Road.

Craig Weinbaum, 38, is one of this week’s four finalists for the summer Coast-to-Coast Fire House Cook-off on the television show Live! with Regis and Kelly.

It is the first time Bonita’s council has voted against a rate increase for the utility.

St. Matthew’s House, with shelters in Naples and Immokalee, unveiled plans to transform the abandoned bank at the corner of Bonita Beach and Old 41 roads.

Nelson, at Wednesday’s council meeting, outlined proposals for creating more orderly and respectful meetings and reminded members that their behavior outside of meetings was bound by their role on council.

Whether casting a line from the Naples Pier or splashing in the gentle surf, vacationers in Naples continue to keep a watchful eye on the oil leak tainting the coastal environments of northern Florida and other Gulf states.

Assistant County Manager Pete Winton acknowledged that a reduction in force, including both vacant and filled positions, will be implemented to help the county reach its budget.

In a matter of weeks, Oakbrook Properties will install a 6-foot high chain-link fence and gate across the road to help keep trespassers at bay.

The Warshel family just two months ago decided to make Marco Island their home. Erik Matthew Warshel, 40, his wife, Kolleen, and their four children moved from Pennsylvania in May.

City Council took stock of some constituent complaints that the new logo, highlighting the historic banyan tree and a picket fence, did not aptly portray Bonita Springs.

Lee County taxes may go up as much as 17 percent, however with the sharp drop in property values, taxpayers may see an increase of about 3 percent.

Lee County Commissioners this morning voted 3-1, killing a proposed resolution to ask voters in November if they want to become a city.

An 8-year-old Orlando boy was flown to a hospital with possible brain injuries after a fall at a Naples skate park Saturday. The boy, who was wearing a helmet, had competed and placed second in a skateboard competition.

Shovels are ready to break ground at the new Boston Red Sox spring training stadium.

The English Pub has hosted World Cup parties since 1982, but nothing compared to Saturday’s match between the United States and England. ESPN’s Soccer Power Index ranked the United States 15th and the English side third, with England expected by ...

Bring us your big-wigs, your techies and your tree-huggers. This will be the ultimate goal of Wednesday’s Bonita Springs City Council and Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce workshop to draw targeted businesses, such as corporate headquarters, aviation, Internet technologies ...

A 73-year-old Golden Gate Estates man died Friday afternoon while swimming at Delnor Wiggins Pass State Park.

The missing person has been identified as 31-year-old Paul Taefi. The individual who survived is 28-year-old Carl Michael Wlodyka. Both men are from Bonita Springs.

A law firm that consults on Lee County issues came under question by a commissioner Tuesday.

With a court decision and hearing examiner’s approval, a mining company will have its time before the Lee County Commission this week after years of wrangling.

County Commissioners voted 4-0 to appeal Lee Circuit Judge Joseph Fuller's decision to grant Old Corkscrew Plantation review under 2007 county guidelines.

Collier County drew more than $1 million from red light tickets issued from cameras.

Lee County commissioners agreed to enter into talks with Austin, Texas-based National Swimming Center Corp. to convert the City of Palms Park into an Olympic training center.

Emergency management officials were on hand Tuesday at commission meetings in Collier and Lee counties to update commissioners on the local efforts to protect the areas if oil reaches Southwest Florida’s coast.

Instead of hard and fast rules limiting projects within a certain number of feet, the proposed changes to the city’s ordinance would have guidelines and would approach exceptions on a case by case basis.

Thousands of businesses throughout Southwest Florida lost communications services this afternoon.

Bonita Springs City Council got to work on its to-do list for the upcoming budget cycle, including the costs of leaving the Lee County Library System and acquiring a public golf course, at a workshop Monday.

They’re ready if they’re needed but they hope they won’t be. Southwest Florida public safety officials are keeping an eye on developments following the late-April Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but they aren’t reacting yet.

Two men walked away without a scratch after their plane made an emergency landing at Immokalee Regional Airport this afternoon, according to the Immokalee Fire Department

It’s official. Lee County now owns 106 acres of land on Daniels Parkway, the future home of Boston Red Sox spring training. The $20 million deal closed Thursday morning without a hitch. The ball team simultaneously closed on their portion ...

Some travelers passing through airports across the country, including Southwest Florida International Airport, will now have their hands wiped and tested for explosives.

A federal judge in New Orleans has awarded seven Virginia families $2.6 million in damages to pay for the removal of sulfur-emitting drywall made in China that has been linked to corrosion and possible health effects.

Lee County Commissioners agreed unanimously on Tuesday to allow a public hearing on single member district elections. The date was set for May 11.

Lee County Commissioners on Tuesday gave a preliminary green light to expand bus service into Collier County, extending Lee Tran’s Route 150 bus past its current terminus on Bonita Beach Road to Immokalee Road in Naples.

Bonita Springs Mayor Ben Nelson has asked City Manager Gary Price to step down now -- instead of discussing the matter as planned at the next scheduled City Council meeting.

The bald eagle, a symbol of the United States, has become for some in Bonita Springs a reason to oppose plastic grocery bags.

Gary Price will decide whether he will continue as Bonita Springs manager after City Council discusses a request for his resignation next month, he said. “I don’t think there’s any reason to continue if I don’t have the council’s support,” ...

Gary Price will decide whether he will continue as Bonita Springs City Manger or after City Council discusses a request for his resignation next month, he said.

Bonita Springs must spend $691,000 on acquiring, building or improving parks in the next couple of years or risk losing it, the city’s finance director said Monday.